An imminent military threat to Moldova's security is unlikely at present, judging the situation on the war front in Ukraine. However, Moldova remains vulnerable in cases of airspace violation incidents, which, first of all, violate international rules, but most importantly, pose a danger to Moldovan citizens. The statements were made by Defense Minister Anatoly Nosatyi. In an interview with the IPN news agency, the minister spoke about the challenges and the security situation in the context of the war in Ukraine, the efficiency of airspace monitoring equipment, the necessary defense systems and the preparedness of the security institutions for potential internal and external challenges.
- We're coming to the end of this year, when the totals are in. How was 2024 for the Ministry of Defense?
- This year's priorities have focused on continuing the agenda with which I came into office. The first was to strengthen defense capabilities. Another priority was to increase the readiness of military units to fulfill the core mission - state defense. Numerous exercises and trainings were conducted both at home and abroad.
We have continued projects to modernize and equip the National Army, which contributes to the basic objective. The military must have the necessary equipment and weapons to fulfill their mission at the highest level. When we are talking about an institution, we are first and foremost talking about people, and they must have good working conditions. In the case of the military, this refers to the equipment they wear every day, the outfits, the protective equipment - such as helmets, vests, etc.
Another priority has been and remains the social field, where we have managed to achieve results. Social protection also concerns their family members. That is why legal amendments have been promoted and supported in government and in parliament. In this way we have eliminated the inequality between the force structures and motivate military service. Military personnel are first and foremost citizens and enjoy the same rights. I am referring here to the inclusion of leave as part of the working period for military women, but also to the right to parental leave for military men. We have succeeded in providing food, while on duty, for military personnel under contract, and not only in the place of permanent deployment, but also in places where the military personnel cannot buy the food they need, but time does not allow them to do so. We succeeded in obtaining the right to travel on duty on public transportation, which was also an inequity in relation to other force structures. We also increased the military pay, which is now 500 lei. The priority for social projects was and will be a benchmark that helps us strengthen the human factor of the institution. I am also referring here to the military on term, the contracted military, as well as civilian employees.
Another priority were and remain partnerships with international institutions, as well as with the countries that are at our side in this difficult period and that contribute to strengthening the state's defense capacity. We have had many official visits, we have signed many official documents, which allows us to have a legal basis for cooperation in order to contribute, once again, to the main objective - to prepare the defense forces to defend the country and to deter any military scenario against the security of the state.
- What was the biggest challenge for you as a minister?
I think that the biggest challenge for me as a minister was to face the challenges of the hybrid war, which is manifested more in the information space, through disinformation, propaganda, fake news, which is why citizens end up not fully appreciating the activities carried out in the interest of the state.
- ...and panic, because the ministry has been targeted in numerous fake news stories throughout the year...
- It is a Kremlin-orchestrated campaign against state security that the country and its leadership will not continue the reforms initiated three years ago to change things in the military. The Kremlin wants the Republic of Moldova to have no defense and security structures, to remain weak and unprepared in the face of challenges - in order not to provide the most important thing for the citizens - an environment of security and peace, which we all need in the context of geopolitical changes and tensions in the region, in particular the war in Ukraine.
- In November, four drones crashed in Causeni, Criuleni, Rascani and Chisinau. The last drone was found on December 3 in the outskirts of Podgoreni, Orhei. Citizens were very scared, especially after the first case. How does the Defense Ministry protect the airspace? You said earlier that we have outdated radar systems that are not up to the job.
- Regrettably, Moldova remains vulnerable to incidents of airspace violation. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, we have had countless incidents of this kind, which, first of all, violate international rules, but most importantly, endanger the citizens of the Republic of Moldova. It is obvious that as long as we have war on the borders of the Republic of Moldova, which the Russian Federation is waging against our neighboring country Ukraine, such incidents, regrettably, may occur - intentionally or as a result of the consequences of the attack against the infrastructure in Ukraine.
Lately we are seeing a discriminatory campaign targeting critical infrastructure and sometimes even civilian infrastructure in Ukraine in order to create difficult winter conditions. Critical infrastructure is also located near the border with the Republic of Moldova, including in the Danube delta. That is why there is an increased number of attacks in this region. As a result, some drones, being jammed, deviate from their targets and end up in neighboring countries - in Moldova, Romania.
- What has the expertise shown about the type of drone? Have they been shown to be dangerous when they crash into a locality?
- I do not want to limit myself to the latest incidents. As I have mentioned, we have had several incidents and here I would like to come with an appeal to citizens - to treat any such case with the utmost seriousness and responsibility. Not to approach these drones or their debris, to inform the competent bodies so that measures can be taken and to protect this place until the arrival of the police and other specialized institutions.
When a citizen sees a drone or debris, it is not known what kind of drone it is. There is no certainty whether or not this drone is armed or not, whether or not it has explosives that could go in at any moment. That is why I am asking citizens not to approach, to report it and not to allow others to approach, especially children.
- Yes, a year ago we had that case in the Anenii Noi district, when specialists detonated the explosive component of the missile that crashed into Lake Harbovat...
- For this reason and I referred to several cases. There are drones of different models with different destinations. The latest ones really have been in the category of those used to distract air defense from drones that are explosively-loaded and going after infrastructure targets. The predecessors were of the "Shahed" type, they were armed, explosive and posed an increased danger to infrastructure and citizens.
That's why I repeat, do not approach. It must not be attempted, it must not be touched, because that is the job of specialists who are trained and know how to act in such situations.
- I would like to ask you to refer to the recent case when the inhabitants of the village of Bîrnova in the Ocnita district reported that Russian missiles had flown over the airspace of the Republic of Moldova. There were noises accompanied by booms.
- The Russian military, when launching missiles, carefully selects the flight trajectory, terrain, as well as the proximity to the borders of the Republic of Moldova, in order to hit infrastructure and military targets in western Ukraine. The same in the case you are referring to - this bang was as a result of the interception by Ukraine's anti-aircraft defenses of a missile overflying near the border with the Republic of Moldova. As for overflying the airspace of the Republic of Moldova, it is difficult to establish the demarcations in the border localities.
- A year ago, the French National Army received the Ground Master 200 airspace monitoring radar from France. How useful was this equipment in detecting dangers?
- The GM 200 radar is purchased by the Ministry of Defense in the interest of strengthening the airspace surveillance capability. It is a high-performance radar, but it is a medium-range radar. Budget constraints do not fully allow us to provide all the necessary sophisticated systems. We need long-range systems, we need systems that would allow even small targets such as drones to be identified. But we would need a large enough number to cover the entire territory of the Republic of Moldova.
- When will the second airspace surveillance radar arrive in Moldova? Can we say we will be safer thanks to the new equipment?
- One radar cannot be enough to fulfill the mission over the entire territory of the Republic of Moldova. I mentioned that it is medium-range. It is clear that we are taking into account the lessons learned in recent years since the war in Ukraine.
The GM 200 radar was procured in 2023, but the contract was finalized in 2022. During this period the war evolved. In 2022 the use of drones was in a much smaller proportion and was limited to research missions, later it became a destructive weapon.
Ongoing analysis and lessons learned, both in our case and in the case of all those in the neighborhood of this war, are benchmarked against developments on the battlefield. It is clear that we have also taken into account the use of drones in different missions, i.e. in the specifications for identifying the necessary system, we emphasized the drone detection capabilities.
- What kind of air defense systems would the state currently need to meet the challenges, and what are the estimated costs? I have seen that the Defense Ministry's budget for 2025 is almost two billion lei, which is similar to 2024...
- If you would have asked me three years ago what kind of defense system Moldova needs, the answer would obviously have been different, because the security environment is what guides us in terms of the capabilities needed to provide the sufficient or necessary level of defense.
In recent years, particularly since the beginning of the war, vulnerabilities have increased in the area of air defense. Air defense has become a priority for us. But this does not mean that the Ministry of Defense, the National Army, is not taking steps to change things in other areas as well, in other types of weapons, in the mobility of forces, which remains a priority, the protection of branch personnel, firepower, the same. It is only that we need to find a balance of the correct use of available resources and the use of assistance from partners in order to carry out modernizations and transformations, based on needs.
- Is the two billion budget enough?
- It is clear that any head of an institution, if asked whether the allocated budget is sufficient, will say - we appreciate the resources allocated, but there is always a need for more. That is a credible and fair justification.
I recall that defense has not previously been a priority for the Republic of Moldova. And the necessary attention was not given. If these budgets had been allocated previously, we would not now be in a situation where we have to modernize and replace a large number of items of equipment. If this had been done on an ongoing basis - modernization and replacement - then we would not have reached these difficult conditions.
Here I would make an analogy with military infrastructure. We are in a situation where we have to repair everything that has not been repaired previously, which is not possible to do in one year. That is why we have a prioritized plan. We are strengthening the infrastructure, creating good conditions and we will continue to do that. But the volume needed for infrastructure, for example, and the budget allocated to this chapter, do not allow us to solve all the problems in one year. Even so we have successes. The soldiers have conditions in most units, which meet the standards, but the most important thing is that they are humane conditions.
- If we refer to the evolution of the situation in the region, in the context of the war in Ukraine, what security risks remain for the Republic of Moldova, also taking into account the Transnistrian region?
- An imminent military threat to the security of the Republic of Moldova is unlikely at present, judging the situation on the war front in Ukraine. The courage and sacrifice of the Ukrainian army and the Ukrainian people, who are fighting to defend their sovereignty, independence and the future of their country, should be appreciated and noted. This still makes military operations far from the borders of the Republic of Moldova. But the tensions, regrettably, do not stop and we are witnessing a continuing confrontation.
A threat to state security and a vulnerability for the national defense system remains the illegal stationing of Russian armed forces on territory uncontrolled by the constitutional bodies of the Republic of Moldova. That is why the Chisinau Government is determined to invest in the national defense system.
In this context, we have strategic partnerships with international organizations and development partners, using all resources to change things in the army so that the Republic of Moldova has a credible defence system which can respond to military challenges and threats to state security.
- If we hypothetically transpose the situation in Georgia to the Republic of Moldova, in the context of the parliamentary elections in 2025 and the threats that the authorities declare, then how prepared are the institutions of the security forces to deal with a similar situation, in the event of a deviation from the European course?
- At this point I would like to emphasize from the outset the coordinated work of the state institutions to ensure order, security and defense. We have been able to demonstrate this for over three years. We are obviously working on planning different responses to possible scenarios. We have effective coordination, we have cooperation at all levels, which allows us to respond promptly to any attempt to destabilize the situation.
- Are we prepared for any scenario?
- Hybrid warfare means constantly identifying new challenges to state security. It requires us to be pro-active, to work together and cooperate in order not to be taken by surprise, to have a good analysis of the situation, to have the necessary information to analyze and plan actions. It is an ongoing process. I want to mention that the state structures are in a continuous activity and preparation, in order to respond to any challenge and, at the same time, not to admit any challenges, and this is the priority in the work of special structures.
- In another vein, I would like to come back to the appointment of Vitalie Micov as Chief of the General Staff, Commander of the National Army. Why was this change necessary?
- Military service is based on a military career. Servicemen advance in different positions based on their experience, education and military activity, which is limited by their contractual relationship with the institution. Similarly, military service is limited by age. I would like to mention that Eduard Ohladciuc has performed excellently in his position as commander of the National Army. However, his replacement by Colonel Vitalie Micov was a result of the end of his term of office and the contract of military service.
- How could Vitalie Micov contribute to strengthening the defense establishment?
- Colonel Micov's experience and education enable him to fulfill the function of Chief of General Staff, Commander of the National Army.
In conclusion, what message do you have for the people of the Republic of Moldova on behalf of the Ministry of Defense, especially in the context of the ongoing war near our borders?
The citizens of the Republic of Moldova have voiced their support for the country’s development path toward European integration and the continuation of democratic reforms. These reforms are essential for Moldova to become a prosperous and secure country—a place where citizens can live at home, raise their children, plan for the future, and enjoy life.
We, the representatives of state institutions, including those in the field of defense, have always been and will continue to stand by our citizens in any situation. We are committed to transforming the National Army into a credible institution equipped with the necessary capabilities to ensure that every citizen feels safe.
I urge citizens to have confidence in the military and civilian staff, as they are dedicated, honest, and patriotic individuals who believe in the future of the Republic of Moldova.
Elena Nistor, IPN
